Chapterg
Gabriel Monroe let out a cold, mocking laugh.
“Assuming you still have a company left, that is.”
“Oh, and in case no one told you–everything under Whitmore Enterprises is now under the Monroe Group. Your so–called partners have all walked away.”
“You and Lillian’s crimes are all over the internet. The Whitmore stock has tanked, the entire. operation collapsed. You’re bankrupt, Nathan. Billions in debt. Can’t even afford a lawyer now. If I were you, I’d stay exactly where I was.”
“That’s impossible!” Nathan snapped. “With Ava around, those people wouldn’t dare-”
But even as he said it, something clicked. He turned to me, stunned and hurt.
“Ava… why?”
So he wasn’t completely stupid after all.
For years, Nathan sat comfortably in the backseat while I ran the entire company.
Thanks to my competence and work ethic, I’d built long–standing trust with our major clients.
Most of them weren’t loyal to Nathan–they were loyal to me.
And the Monroe Group? Its international presence was already massive.
All it needed was a foot in the domestic market.
Of course they saw the opportunity–and with me as the bridge, they gladly walked through the
door. I was someone they trusted.
After all, I helped build Whitmore Enterprises from scratch. I knew every flaw in the system.
“Nathan,” I said calmly, “back when you and Gabriel were competing for market share, I chose to
help you because I loved you. I stayed up for days to win contracts, drank myself into a bleeding
ulcer.”
“And what did I get in return? You cheated. You let your mistress indirectly kill our daughter and
my mother.”
“You were never a good partner. So I found someone better.”
Chapter9
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Nathan’s voice cracked, his eyes full of regret.
“I messed up. Ever since we had Bella, you changed. You stopped being cheerful and sunny like you
used to be. I thought Lillian reminded me of the old you… I just missed the girl who used to shine
like the sun.”
I let out a bitter laugh.
“Yeah? And did you ever wonder why I stopped smiling?”
“Because raising a child is hard. But you never helped.
You were too proud to beg for help expanding the company, so I had to do it all–exhausted, hospitalized while you accused me of sleeping around.”
“I had to chase your dreams and run the business while also managing your fragile ego and
insecurities. I was so tired I forgot what happiness even felt like.”
“No wait–I remember. My daughter and my mother made me smile. But because of you, I lost
them both. Forever.”
“So no, Nathan. I don’t regret bringing you home that winter.”
“But I regret not leaving you there to die.”
I didn’t look at him again.
I turned and walked away, hand in hand with Gabriel Monroe.
Gabriel had been our college classmate. He once confessed his feelings for me back then, but I was
too in love with Nathan to accept.
I never expected… he’d wait all these years.
A few days later, word came from the prison–Nathan Whitmore had attempted suicide behind
bars.
By then, I had officially taken over as the Regional President of the Monroe Group.
Standing by the floor–to–ceiling windows, I looked down at the neon skyline, feeling nothing at all.
Gabriel entered the office, suitcase in hand.
“Ava,” he said, “I’m heading back to France. If you’re willing… I could give you my seat. You could
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come with me.”
I lifted a hand and quietly interrupted him.
“You and I–we’re friends. Colleagues. The best business partners. That’s more than enough.”
“Thank you for everything you did the lawyers, the resources. I’ll take the Monroe Group even further for you.”
Gabriel gave a bittersweet smile.
“I wasn’t doing it for the company, you know. I just… never mind. As long as you’re happy. If you ever need me, just say the word.”
“I will. Be safe on the road.”
The love and hatred of the past had burned too brightly, only to end in ashes.
I no longer had the desire to place my future in a man’s hands.
It was time to build something of my own.
And I believed my mother and Bella would be proud of me.
Old love reignites as Gabriel mames Sebastian to protect his inheritance
